This is sort of a treatment of the Charles Ives composition – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowe%27en_(Ives) – but I don’t know. The connection is pretty tenuous.
This is what I think happened:
1) I took a recording of the piano quintet and fed it into MIDI Guitar, creating a MIDI track that would supposedly be a transcription for one guitar of the entire piece. Of course it was nothing of the kind, and it was pretty harsh.
2) I then took this MIDI and fed it to BIAB, requesting that it provide a band to accompany this harsh guitarist. I used style _BLUGRSF.STY but kept only RealTracks ~427:Bass, Acoustic, Bluegrass Ev 130 and ~428:Fiddle, Rhythm Bluegrass Ev 130.
3) I then combined the BIAB tracks with the MIDI “guitar” tracks, and did perform upon these tracks assorted acts of unprincipled editing, ultimately rendering a piece of some sort for organ, violin, recorder, and orchestral percussion, concluding with a dramatic snippet from the recording by Leonard Bernstein, which is the only part that sounds anything like the original.
Short and sweet, just 2 minutes. Parts of this are really snappy, and I am pleased. I think the fast organ passages came out really good. This is a deranged little TOE TAPPER!
We have no idea how you did that (above our production pay grades) but the result is most cool.
"This is a deranged little TOE TAPPER!" Hard to add to that.
Fun!
J&B
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We have no idea how you did that (above our production pay grades) but the result is most cool.
Thanks for listening!
It's not as complicated as you might think. Production is essentially "do something to generate a bunch of MIDI data, then play with that MIDI data manually in Logic and use BIAB to generate an accompaniment."
As you might imagine, feeding a dissonant modern piano quintet into an audio-to-MIDI function is going to generate a lot of data, most of it poop. I just walk into the middle and start shovelling my way out. =8^)
You've definitely managed a cool arrangement of sounds on this one. What was your Halloween inspiration for this particular piece (outside of Charles Ives)? I was curious if something in particular sparked this adventure of it was more just wanting to create something for the season? Either way, neat stuff. Thanks for sharing!
You've definitely managed a cool arrangement of sounds on this one. What was your Halloween inspiration for this particular piece (outside of Charles Ives)? I was curious if something in particular sparked this adventure of it was more just wanting to create something for the season? Either way, neat stuff. Thanks for sharing!
I've done a number of other BIABified Ives pieces recently, including "Central Park in the Dark", which goes with "Halloween" here and "The Pond" to make "Three Outdoor Scenes" (see album cover above.) I can't locate a MIDI for "The Pond" but I'll hand-enter the notes if I have to to finish the trilogy.
This track is much more consumable than the previous songs :-) It's very interesting how you work with your instruments. Can't say I got it all.
It also feels as if you work with reversed sounds. Is that the case? I have some programs to do this (in Native instruments). I tried them sometimes, but it never came (close) to a song.
I am very curious how you will develop in your style. Continue the good work!
This track is much more consumable than the previous songs :-) It's very interesting how you work with your instruments. Can't say I got it all. It also feels as if you work with reversed sounds. Is that the case? I have some programs to do this (in Native instruments). I tried them sometimes, but it never came (close) to a song. I am very curious how you will develop in your style. Continue the good work!
Thank you, Hans! I am so immersed in these things, when I make them, they all start to sound normal after a while, and I love them all like little children, equally in their differences. =8^)
I think this one is particularly catchy because of the virtuosic organ part combined with a lot of stereophonic gimmickry, like hocketing a melody back and forth between instruments. And fast-tempo 1/16 note quantization – without that, tying everything together into a tight rhythm, it just sounds like mud. With it, it almost doesn't matter what the notes are.
Nothing is reversed. I just listened with that question in mind, and I think what you were hearing was a melody bouncing back and forth in the way described.
You appear to possess a quality of musical inventiveness mixed with a sense of humor that manifests itself in a singularly original manner in your compositions. There is nobody like you on this User's Forum.
Listening to 'Halloween: Allegro Vivace (Charles Ives?)' made me feel as though I was witnessing a laboratory experiment in which musical notation substituted for chemical ingredients. The result was joyously unpredictable and entertaining, too!
By the way, I am a committed devotee of Charles Ive's music. I think that his musical triptych, 'Three Places in New England', and especially the third part, 'The Houstonic at Stockbridge', is one of the most sublimely spiritual works of musical art I've ever experienced.
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
You appear to possess a quality of musical inventiveness mixed with a sense of humor that manifests itself in a singularly original manner in your compositions. There is nobody like you on this User's Forum.
Listening to 'Halloween: Allegro Vivace (Charles Ives?)' made me feel as though I was witnessing a laboratory experiment in which musical notation substituted for chemical ingredients. The result was joyously unpredictable and entertaining, too!
By the way, I am a committed devotee of Charles Ive's music. I think that his musical triptych, 'Three Places in New England', and especially the third part, 'The Houstonic at Stockbridge', is one of the most sublimely spiritual works of musical art I've ever experienced.
Wow. I almost feel like I shouldn't quote you, out of modesty. =8^) Thank you, thank you. I am so glad I can do this kind of music and not be the only one who enjoys it – as poor Chuck himself must have felt a lot of the time.
Listening to "Housatonic" now. I'd never heard it before, and yes, it is gorgeous, like so many of his songs. Sometimes I think Ives found the perfect combination of heart and head in music. The "modern classical" genre would certainly be a much more soulless affair without him.
By the way, I am a committed devotee of Charles Ive's music. I think that his musical triptych, 'Three Places in New England', and especially the third part, 'The Houstonic at Stockbridge', is one of the most sublimely spiritual works of musical art I've ever experienced.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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